Overview of 3D Lighting in Animation with iRender
In real life, the way we perceive the world is influenced by light. It is what creates the atmosphere and affects our emotions. It is the same in VFX and 3D animation, lighting enhances visual appeal, highlights characters and plot, and evokes emotions in viewers. In other words, 3D lighting is what makes or breaks the movie.
To proficiently use 3D lighting in animation, you first need to know basic information about it as well as common types of 3D lighting and techniques. This is what this blog is all about. Let’s get an overview of 3D Lighting in Animation with iRender.
What is 3D Lighting in Animation?
3D Lighting in animation and computer graphics refers to the simulation and placement of virtual light sources within a three-dimensional space to illuminate digital objects and scenes. It involves the manipulation of light properties such as intensity, color, direction, and shadows to create realistic and visually compelling visuals in a 3D environment.
Lighting artists will use different 3D software to illuminate the scene. These applications can simulate natural light, mimicking how it behaves and interacts with each other in real environments, thereby adding realism to the scene.
In essence, 3D lighting serves as a powerful tool for artists and animators to craft immersive and engaging visual experiences, bringing virtual worlds to life with depth, texture, and visual interest. It is applied in diverse industries such as Animation and VFX, Gaming, Architectural Visualization, Product Design & Marketing, Films & Television, Simulation and Training, Medical and Scientific Visualization, and more!
Image source: cdn.80.lv
Common Types of 3D Lighting in Animation
The 6 types of 3D Lighting below are commonly used in 3D lighting and are the foundation for any lighting artist.
Global Illumination
Global illumination is the lighting simulation technique that most closely resembles real-world lighting. This algorithm calculates the path of light throughout the scene. In addition, it enhances the realism of lighting by accounting for light reflections and color bleeding.
Spotlight
Spotlight is a popular type of 3D lighting. It produces cone-shaped light with light intensity concentrated in the center and gradually decreasing outwards. Besides, a spotlight produces rays of light in one direction and is often used to simulate flashlights, table lamps, street lights, or car headlights in a scene.
Point Light
Point light (or Omni light) comes from a single point light and propagates in all directions. The closer objects are to the light source, the brighter it becomes. Light bulbs and lamps are typical examples of point light.
Area Light
Area light refers to light sources emitted from surfaces, creating shadows with no parallel rays. These lights have specific sizes and shapes such as rectangles and circles. Thus, area light is often used to describe light from fluorescent lamps or windows.
Image source: helpx.adobe.com
Directional Light
Directional light (or infinite light) is the opposite of point light because the light source creates parallel light rays in one direction and propagates infinitely in space. This lighting simulates lighting in large, open spaces such as the sun or moon in a scene.
Skydome Lights with HDRI maps / Image Based Lighting (IBLs)
Skydome lighting is a 3D environmental lighting technique used to simulate the lighting conditions of outdoor environments, such as the sky and surrounding atmosphere. This method involves placing a hemispherical or dome-shaped object around the scene and mapping it using high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) or panoramic sky images.
Basic 3D Lighting Techniques in Animation Environment
Below are three basic 3D lighting techniques commonly used in 3D animation environments. Of course, in reality, 3D lighting will be much more technically complex.
One-point Lighting
In one-point lighting, only a single light source highlights a specific area or object in the scene and no additional light sources. It creates a moody atmosphere and adds drama to the scene by emphasizing the contrast between light and shadow.
This technique is often used in cinematic and dramatic contexts to evoke tension, mystery, or suspense.
Two-point Lighting
Two-point lighting is used to simulate real-world lighting effects. This technique uses two light sources, a primary light source and a secondary light source. The sun and the light around it are an example. It means two-point lighting calculates how exposed each point in a scene is to ambient lighting. Darkening areas where objects are close together enhances the realism of the lighting and adds depth to the scene.
Three-point Lighting
Three-point lighting is a classic technique widely used in photography, film, and 3D rendering. It involves three main light sources:
- Key Light: The primary light source illuminates the subject or scene. It provides the most significant amount of light and sets the overall mood.
- Fill Light: The fill light helps to reduce the harsh shadows created by the key light. It fills in the darker areas and softens the overall lighting.
- Backlight: The backlight is placed behind the subject or scene and helps to separate it from the background by creating a highlight around the edges, adding depth and dimension.
Image source: helpx.adobe.com
Useful Tips for 3D Lighting in Animation
Use High-quality Models
If your model is not lifelike, high realism cannot be achieved when lighting. For example, if the lighting surface is not flat when applying light, it will look rough and unsightly. Thus, check your model from every angle and fix the errors if any to achieve good results.
You can use objects available in the asset library to save time and achieve high display quality.
Set The Main Light
You need to arrange your key lighting properly so that the light and shadow can convey the proper shape and structure of the scene. Furthermore, key lighting can also affect the composition of the photo. Besides, you also need to handle the shadow well to create ideal depth for the 3D environment.
Real-world Lighting is Imperfect
You need to remember that light has different shapes and brightness, depending on the light source and contact surface. So observing and learning real-world lighting will help you understand how light interacts with different surfaces and materials allow you to replicate these effects in your 3D scenes more convincingly.
Don’t Forget The Composition
Well-designed lighting and composition will allow you to direct the viewer’s attention where you want it. So let’s start with basic theories like Rule of the Thirds, Golden Ratio, and Grid Theory. By understanding the fundamentals of composition, you’ll know how to use light to support composition.
Image source: Insider YouTube
Get The Best Rendering of 3D Lighting in Animation with iRender
Models with beautiful 3D lighting often require high-end computers and take a long time to render. Let’s come to iRender where you can accelerate 3D Lighting rendering speed with top high-configuration servers.
Why choose iRender?
iRender provides high-configuration servers that increase CPU and GPU rendering speeds. We offer the most powerful RTX 4090 configuration packages on the market, all equipped with AMD RyzenTM ThreadripperTM PRO 3955WX @ 3.9 – 4.2GHz and AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper™ PRO 5975WX @ 3.6 – 4.5GHz processors, 256GB RAM and 2T NVMe SSD hard drive capacity. With a wide range of GPU servers (1/2/4/6/8x) – RTX 4090, you can choose the server that suits your needs to start the rendering process.
- 100% Software Support: We support all 3D software, their plugins, and render engines.
- Full Control: Our service will give you full control over the servers you rent. Therefore, you are free to create your own working environment.
- Go Green: We are committed to using 100% solar renewable energy towards environmental sustainability.
- Real-human 24/7 Support: Our professional support agents and technicians guarantee to bring you the best rendering experience.
Check out our easy and simple workflow:
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References: academyofanimatedart.com, anideos.com
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